Shoulder Strap Retainer

ABSTRACT

A flexible, low profile retainer having a high coefficient of friction that may be adhered to the underside of a shoulder strap to retain the strap in the appropriate location on the shoulder of a user. The retainer is formed from a flexible layer of silicone or thermoplastic rubber and includes an adhesive positioned on one side to adhere the retainer in the appropriate location on the underside of the shoulder strap. The retainer may be dimensioned to be nearly invisible when positioned on the strap, thereby maintaining the aesthetic appeal and overall look of the item being supported by the strap.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 61/634,670, filed on Mar. 5, 2012, hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to non-slip devices and, moreparticularly, to a low profile, non-slip device for retaining a shoulderstrap in the appropriate location.

2. Description of the Related Art

Women's purses, handbags, etc. are normally supported by a strapattached to each end of the bag. The bottom portion of the strap restson a person's shoulder while transporting the bag. The strap willusually have a smooth surface and can be made of leather, syntheticleather, vinyl, nylon, cotton or similar material. This portion of thestrap has a tendency to have a relatively slippery surface, as does thewearer's shoulder, which is normally covered with an article ofclothing. The slippery surfaces cause the bag to slip and fall off ofthe shoulder, especially while the person is in motion. This can causepurse contents to spill, and may also cause problems with theindividual's ability to walk comfortably. This is of great annoyance tothe bag carrier, and also allows a risk of theft of the bag as it is notsecurely held in place against one's shoulder.

To counter the tendency for the bag to slip off of one's shoulder, onemust hold onto the bag with one or both hands. The person's hands aretherefore not free to do other things, such as picking up objects whileshopping or tending to children's needs. Also, in order to compensatefor purse slippage, people will walk with their shoulders at an angle sothat the shoulder supporting the purse is at a higher horizontal levelthan the opposite shoulder. This is an awkward position which can beuncomfortable for the wearer if maintained for a length of time, and itcan cause balance problems for the purse wearer when walking.

Conventional solutions to strap slippage use large, obvious padding or alarge rubber device with the strap threaded through slits in the device.Other solutions include devices intended to keep the purse strap againsta specific area of one's shoulder by using various fasteners including,but not limited, to pins, magnets, and even Velcro. These options donot, however, take into account the aesthetic desires that are importantto the owner of a purse or handbag. For instance, conventionalapproaches do not take into account the fashionable value of a woman'spurse, and are rather unsightly from a fashion standpoint. Purses andhandbags can be very expensive and distinctive, based on thecharacteristics of a brand. A person generally does not want the look ofher purse altered by a device which is visible and distracts from thenormal appearance of the purse. For fashion reasons, the use of avisible pad that changes the aesthetic appearance of a handbag or otherfashion item is simply not desirable.

In addition, many conventional solutions are intended to be a permanentpart of the purse strap. These devices often use a primitive material,such as foam padding in the shape of a rectangle, to be attached to thepurse strap that has a tendency to degrade after prolonged use betweenpoints of friction. These solutions also use a rectangular design havingexposed corners that can easily catch on other surfaces and may causethe device to peel off. Foam rubber degradation can also damage theclothing of the user through friction. Some conventional designs arealso provided as part of kit that is time consuming to attached and/ordetach as the system requires multiple steps in order to attach a deviceto the purse. None of the prior art devices have adequately solved thepurse wearer's difficulties, as such devices have still allowed slippageand sometimes caused discomfort to the users of the devices.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a principal object and advantage of the presentinvention to provide a device that can reduce slipping of the purse orhandbag strap off of one's shoulder.

It is another object and advantage of the present invention to provide adevice which can be utilized to retain a shoulder strap in a desiredposition on one's shoulder, and thus prevent a shoulder strap fromsliding off a user's shoulder when they move.

It is a further object and advantage of the present invention to providea device which is inconspicuous and can be placed between the pursestrap and shoulder without being visible.

It is an additional object and advantage of the present invention toprovide a device which can be easily modified, attached to the pursestrap, and even cut to shape to adapt to various purse strap widths thatwill not detract from the appearance of the purse or bag.

It is another object and advantage of the present invention to provide adevice made of a material which is comfortable against a person's skinand clothing which will not break apart or easily degrade.

It is a further object and advantage of the present invention to providea device made of a material with a high coefficient of friction whichwill prevent slippage.

It is an additional object and advantage of the present invention toprovide a device that can be quickly placed on a purse strap and thusdoes not require multiple steps to install.

It is another object and advantage of the present invention to provide adevice that will not easily peel off of the purse strap after it isapplied.

It is a further object and advantage of the present invention to providea device that can be manufactured inexpensively.

It is an additional object and advantage of the present invention toprovide a device that can be removed from a shoulder strap and will notdamage the strap.

In accordance with the foregoing objects and advantages, the presentinvention comprises a shoulder strap retainer including a flexiblesubstrate having a high coefficient of friction, such as silicone orthermo-plastic rubber, an adhesive applied to one side of the substrate,and a removable cover positioned over the other side of the adhesive.Preferably, the substrate has a width that is equal to or less than thewidth of the strap to which it will be applied, and a length equal to orgreater than the portion of the strap that is intended to make contactwith the shoulder area of the user, whether covered by clothing ordirectly on the user's skin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated byreading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a user wearing a retainer according to thepresent invention under the shoulder strap of a conventional handbag;

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of a retainer according to the presentinvention positioned under the shoulder strap; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a retainer according to the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer tolike parts throughout, there is seen in FIG. 1 a shoulder strap retainer10 according to the present invention for preventing slippage of ashoulder strap 12 of a handbag 14 or similar item worn by a user 16. Itshould be recognized by those of skill in the art that any item inaddition to a purse or handbag 14 having shoulder strap 12 may benefitfrom the present invention. As seen in FIG. 2, retainer 10 is positionedon the underside of shoulder strap 12 so that it comes into contact witha user 16 that places the strap 12 of handbag 14 over his or hershoulder.

Referring to FIG. 3, retainer 10 is comprised of a flexible substrate20, such as a layer of silicone rubber or thermoplastic rubber, which isrelative soft, e.g., a Shore A durometer hardness of less than 50, andhas a high coefficient of friction, e.g., above 0.25 and preferablyabove 0.50, or is textured to provide a higher coefficient of friction.For example, substrate 20 may comprise a silicone eslatomer such as acombination of vinyl-terminated dimethyl vinyl methyl (siloxane andpolysiloxane) of between 30 and 50 percent by weight, silicon dioxide ofbetween 10 and 30 percent by weight, hydroxyl-terminated dimethyl(siloxane and polyusiloxane) of less than 10 percent by weight, andaluminum hydroxide of between 30 and 50 percent by weight. Preferably,substrate 20 is optically clear or translucent and has a tensilestrength range from 4.0 to 12.5 MPa.

Substrate 20 extends along a single plane and is elongated to correspondto shoulder strap 12. Preferably, substrate 20 is dimensioned to have awidth equal to or less than the width of a shoulder strap, and a lengthequal to or greater than the portion of the shoulder strap that makescontact with the shoulder area of the users (whether bare or covered byclothing). Substrate 20 may be provided with a thickness of less than 2millimeters and, preferably, about 1.5 millimeters.

Retainer 10 further comprises a layer of adhesive 22 applied to one sideof substrate 20. It should be recognized by those of skill in the artthat the side of substrate 20 having the adhesive is intended to bepositioned against shoulder strap 12 to hold retainer 10 in place, whilethe opposing side of substrate 20 is intended to contact the user, orthe user's clothing. The high coefficient of friction of thenon-adhesive side of substrate 20, coupled with the weight of handbag14, will assist in retaining shoulder strap 12 is the proper location onthe shoulder of the user and therefore prevent undesirable slippage ofstrap 12 while worn by a user. Because substrate 20 may be provided witha width that is the same or even less than the width of strap 12 andwith a thickness that is about 1.5 millimeters it is generally notvisible to others, particularly when retainer 10 is under load andcompressed, and thus does not diminish the aesthetic appeal of handbag14. Retainer 10 may further include a layer of glossy paper strip 24 cutto the same area as adhesive that will easily peel off when retainer 10is ready to be applied to strap 12 by a user.

Retainer 10 may be manufactured inexpensively by die-cutting the desiredshape out of silicone or TPR sheeting. As an example, retainer 10 may berectangularly shaped and die-cut to dimensions of 125 millimeters inlength, 25 millimeters in width, and 1.5 millimeters in thickness.Preferably, retainer 10 includes rounded corners as seen in FIG. 3 toreduce the opportunity for retainer 10 to catch on other surfaces ordevices, or peel away from strap 12. Retainer 10 may instead havestraight sides and fully tapered ends that omit minor sides.

Adhesive 22 may be applied to one side of the silicone surface.Depending on the particular substrate 20 and adhesive 22, it may benecessary to treat substrate 20 before applying adhesive 22, such aswith a corona treatment or other surface modification technique.Adhesive 22 may then be covered with glossy paper strip cut 24 to thesame area as adhesive 22 that will easily peel off when retainer 10 isready to be applied to strap 12 by a user. In a preferred embodiment,adhesive 22 and strip 24 are provided by applying a preconfigured doublecoated tape, such as No. 9448 High Performance Non-woven Double CoatedTape available from 3M of St. Paul, Minn. that is designed to bondtogether a wide variety of similar and dissimilar materials such aswood, metals, glass, papers, paints and many plastics and fabrics, asadhesive 22 must bind to both substrate 20 and strap 12, which may beleather, fabric, or plastic.

A user of retainer 10 can easily secure it to strap 12 by peeling awaypaper strip 24 and adhering it to strap 12 by pressing retainer 10against strap 12 until the adhesive bond retainer 10 in place. Dependingon the adhesive 22, retainer may be repositionable or reusable for alimited number of times. Strap 12 should also be cleaned of any debrisor surface grime to improve adhesion of retainer 10.

This present invention has been broadly described and those of skill inthe should appreciate that the disclosed conception and exemplaryembodiments can be used as the basis for designing or modifying otherstructures and methods for carrying out the same purpose of the presentinvention, and that such equivalent constructions do not depart from thespirit of the invention in its broadest form. The exemplary embodimentspresented herein illustrate the principles of the invention and are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the formdisclosed.

Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomereadily apparent to those skilled in this art from the aforementioneddescription showing and describing only the preferred embodiment of theinvention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modificationin various obvious respects all without departing from the invention.Accordingly, the drawings and description of the preferred embodimentare to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive innature.

What is claimed is:
 1. A retainer for holding a strap in position,comprising: a flexible substrate that extends along a plane to definefirst and second opposing planar surfaces and an outer perimeter havingfirst and second opposing minor sides and first and second opposingmajor sides; an adhesive applied to at least a portion of said surfacetreatment; a removable cover positioned over said adhesive.
 2. Theretainer of claim 1, wherein said flexible substrate comprises silicone.3. The retainer of claim 1, wherein said flexible substrate comprises athermoplastic rubber.
 4. The retainer of claim 1, wherein said flexiblesubstrate comprises vinyl-terminated dimethyl vinyl methyl (siloxane andpolysiloxane), hydroxyl-terminated dimethyl (siloxane andpolyusiloxane), and aluminum hydroxide.
 5. The retainer of claim 2,wherein said flexible substrate is less than two millimeters inthickness throughout.
 6. The retainer of claim 5, wherein said flexiblesubstrate is dimensioned to have a width that is the same or less than ashoulder strap on which it may be adhered.
 7. The retainer of claim 5,wherein said flexible substrate comprises a rectangle.
 8. The retainerof claim 7, wherein said rectangle includes rounded corners.
 9. Theretainer of claim 1, wherein said first and second opposing minor sidesare arcuate and said first and second opposing major sides are straight.